


Secret Haven

by Sternenstaub



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Background geraskefer, Everybody is a Lesbian, F/F, F/M, It's not important for the plot, M/M, Monsters, Witcher Contracts, background geraskier, secret village, ye olde women's shelter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27573220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternenstaub/pseuds/Sternenstaub
Summary: Geralt is hired to investigate a cursed village. What he finds is not what he expected.OrThe village of Haven is for some reason inaccessible to all men.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 26
Collections: The Witcher Flash Fic Challenge #010, w_l_w





	Secret Haven

The wind swept over the fields as the sun rose over Haven. The blacksmith started the fire and greeted the baker who was already taking out the first breads of the day, letting them cool down. The smell of fresh bread and smoke permeated the air and made the laundress smile as she walked down to the river. It promised to be a sunny day, maybe one of the last days of the year you could comfortably spend outside before your feet started to freeze and your fingers became stiff. 

"Hetty, take care! There's been strange noises coming from the river!" the blacksmith shouted, pulling her long hair up in a bun so it wouldn't get caught by the flames. Hetty just waved at her, giving her a brilliant grin, untroubled by whatever people had heard, she'd worked at this river for the better part of twenty years, a drowner didn't scare her anymore. With a small content smile she petted the dagger Eleonore, the blacksmith, had given her so many years ago, that had protected her from many dangers, and also was a great knife to sever seams, much to Eleonore´s never ending annoyance. 

The river was gurgling peacefully, Hetty sat her laundry basket down and started to strip out of her jacket and shoes when she saw a lone rider on a horse approach. They traveled slowly down the road, apparently watching the fields and the river carefully. Horses were rare here but not entirely uncommon. Were they looking for something?  
She watched the horse, a beautiful brown mare, nibble at some stalks next to the fence that kept the cows while the rider was looking at her. With an easy smile she waved them closer. They rarely got visitors in Haven, not many people were able to travel through the gates and those that did were welcome. 

On the horse sat a man and she took a double take at that. It had been many years since Hatty had seen a male person, she had forgotten how angular and angry they looked. The man, she shuddered, looked at her from yellow eyes slitted like a cat's, long white hair reached his shoulders and he wore two swords over his back. This was not a good sign, armed men in their village, it never was just one. Why had he been able to enter?!  
He shouldn't have been able to enter!  
Hetty fled as soon as she could see the sun reflect on his swords, her laundry forgotten on the riverbanks. If the man looked sad at that reception, she never saw.

"Eleonore! A man! A witcher! Warn everyone!" she shouted at her lover who didn't hesitate to hit the bell in her shop with one of her hammers. The sound shrilled through the whole village, people were running into their homes or the communal meeting place. This was not the first time they had to hide but it had been a quiet few years and most were not used to the panic anymore. With every chime of the bell a veil lowered over the village, tasting like sulfur and daisies. 

\----

3 days ago.  
"Tried to get into Haven, it's like this bloody village vanished." a gruff voice at the table next to him said.  
"Right? It's the strangest thing. Poof, thirty years ago the whole village was just gone." the second man gestured widely. The movement reminded Geralt of his bard and he missed Jaskier with a sudden ferocity. He should not have separated with him so soon. But winter was coming and they would spend it apart.  
Once again Geralt hadn't been able to jump over his shadow and invite Jaskier to Kaer Morhen. He vowed he'd do that next year. 

"Haven? Have you guys been drinking too much again? It burned down, nothing there anymore."  
"What do you know, Elly? Go get us some drinks." the gruff man shooed her away. Geralt stopped listening to them and concentrated on his mead. This was one of his last stops before he reached the blue mountains and he'd absorb as much warmth of the inn as possible. 

To his surprise the man that made his heart miss Jaskier beckoned him over when he saw Geralt sitting in a corner. "You a witcher?" At Geralt's affirmation he continued, "You lot know how to break curses, yeah? The village three days from here was cursed many years ago. Nobody can enter it anymore." Geralt raised an eyebrow, "Thought it burned down?"  
"That's what they want you to believe! It's still there, just hidden! Such a strong curse, they must be hiding something valuable! Don't you think?" the lively one nudged the gruff one who nodded. 

"Go there and look for a curse. If it's really burned down, we'll still pay you. If not, you get part of the treasure. Deal?" Geralt nodded, a bit coin to buy last rations never hurt. And he was pretty sure the hidden village would be nothing but a local myth.

Geralt left the inn the next morning. The barkeep, Elly, his brain supplied, sold him breakfast with a wary smile. She smelled distressed. Geralt tried to finish fast and not scare her further when, to his surprise, she approached him.  
"Master witcher, that village, leave it be. It's not what it seems. It's important." She looked around, making sure nobody was close enough to watch and shoved a few coins to him, "For your troubles after you only found a burned down village." Geralt shook his head as he left the inn. This was becoming more and more interesting. 

The ride took only a few uneventful days. A wooden fence suddenly cut the road and Geralt's medallion vibrated gently. A gate was opened easily and nothing changed, no magic trap was activated. The witcher frowned at it but Roach was unbothered and the feeling of magic in the air wasn't strong. It slid over his skin like water, like most magic did with witchers.  
Geralt rode over a small hill until he saw the village, it seemed peaceful and thriving and very much unharmed, small houses, the smell of fresh bread and people laughing, it all looked perfectly normal, if not for the fact that his medaillon was vibrating strong to move on his chest as he waited at yet another fence closer to the village, letting Roach munch on some wheat stalks while he watched his surroundings, ignoring his own gurgling stomach. Geralt could barely remember the last time he'd been able to afford a proper meal and the hunt had been scarce this close to winter. This would be his last contract before he turned towards Kaer Morhen and he was glad for it. 

A red haired woman stood at the river, the big basket full of wet clothes and the smell of soap in the air told him she must be a laundress. She greeted him cheerfully, waving him closer but the witcher could clearly see when she noticed his swords, his eyes, his otherness. What had been a kind gesture was abruptly aborted and the woman fled, there was no other word for it. Within seconds alarm bells were ringing in the small village and people closed their doors. Geralt didn't miss that every single person he saw was a woman. No children, no man. Strange. 

And why were they so afraid? It was not uncommon for people to dislike witchers, mistrust and refuse to host them but alarm bells were a bit much even for his like. The bitter taste in his tongue and constriction in his chest never lessened when people ran from him in fear. 

His medaillon almost jumped from his chest with every bell punch. 

Geralt dismounted Roach and tied her to the fence, better keep her out of the way of any potential danger, and walked closer. The village suddenly seemed deserted if not for the rabbit quick heartbeats he could hear behind most doors. Some women whispered but most stayed as quiet as stone. His Medaillon almost hurt on his chest, trying to shatter with vibrations.  
The magic in this village was strong. 

It looked and smelled like a normal village, smoke, soap, food, animals and people. Though Geralt had to admit the people smelled a bit better than he was used to. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary if there hadn't been the cloying taste of magic on his tongue at every breath.

He waited in the marketplace, a small circle with market stands surrounded by stores, sadly the stands were still empty so early in the morning, he would have loved to leave some coins for an apple or some meat. Some benches stood under a tree, made to linger and talk while people perused the wares, around them all the necessary stores for your daily life. Geralt decided to wait, nothing had attacked him so far and there was no explanation for why these women were hiding, he hoped someone would shed some light into the mystery of this village or at least show him they wanted him gone. Geralt stood there, watching the barricaded doors and listened to the heartbeats around him.

Nothing happened for several minutes. 

When Geralt was almost ready to give up, he would not barge into the home of some unsuspecting and clearly afraid woman, no matter how strong the magic tasted here, someone with carefully braided black hair emerged from the bakery. She had flour on her cheek and clothes and her broad shoulders filled out the door frame. She was a beauty beyond compare. "What do you seek in our village?" she asked with a surprisingly melodious voice, "Your kind is not welcome here." 

It hurt, it always hurt to be told that, but Geralt ignored the small pang in his chest and tried to look as non-aggressive as possible with two swords on your back and in full protection armor. "I was paid to lift the curse off this village." the witcher shouted over the market place.  
He didn't expect not only the baker but several other people, behind their doors, to laugh at that. "A curse? Have these people been telling that story again? There is nothing to lift here, neither curse nor skirt, boy. Leave in peace." she said, standing in her doorframe like a pillar, unmoving and cold, every inch radiating sturdy perseverance. The silent laughter had calmed down instantly at her words. It was eery to hear so many people but to be unable to see them.

Geralt nodded and turned around, ready to leave, when another woman opened a door left to him, a plump lady with curly blond hair and kind brown eyes emerged. "Look at him Belle, he's barely more than skin and bones. He obviously means no harm or he wouldn't be here. Look at those puppy eyes." Geralt frowned, puppy eyes? He was certainly doing no such thing but he couldn't deny that his stomach had started to grumble pitifully at the concentrated smell of freshly baked goods from the opened door that belonged to the woman named Belle.

"Are you mad, Lillian? He's a man! We don't want them here, they're bad luck." Belle shouted back and more doors opened for curious eyes to peek out.  
To stand between these people who mostly ignored him, who talked like he was no more than a boy who had entered the wrong room, all while his medaillon vibrated painfully, was utterly unsettling.  
The blond woman, Lillian, approached him after a moment, eyes wary but with a kind smile. Her hands were held open in an unthreatening gesture. 

"You can't stay here stranger, but we can offer you a meal before you go. If you promise to leave us. There is no curse to break, nobody to save and no monster to slay because it attacked humans. Only people." she said, waiting for an answer before she entered into his striking range. She smelled of fresh fabric and dust and wore a well made dress in bright colors, the door she emerged from was adorned with decorative scissors, must be the seamstress, Geralt thought. 

The witcher nodded at her offer, he had never planned to attack anyone and it seemed these people were happy enough. Everybody looked healthy and well fed, there was no smell of sickness or decay to be found. Nothing looked burned or in need of repair. And he desperately wanted to know just what exactly was going on in this village. So he agreed to follow this stranger, hearing Vesemir in his head shout at him for his recklessness.

With a bright smile Lillian led him to her house, Geralt made sure to keep a respectable distance to his host, careful not to scare her, very aware of the many eyes watching him. When nothing happened to Lillian and the women realized Geralt was not going to attack anyone, several other women started to arrive, looking at him curiously, whispering to each other in low voices even his hearing could barely make out. They fluttered around him like he was a curiosity, not a predator they had been so afraid of just moments before, but nobody dared to touch him. 

All of them looked beautiful, ethereal, otherworldy. Some were curvy, some athletic, skin dark and smooth or pale as porcelain, wearing intricate hairdos and flowing open hair. They were entirely mesmerizing. 

The hair on Geralt's neck stood up, nobody looked this beautiful without magic. Beauty was a ploy to attract prey, human prey, most often male. The way they looked at him, like he was no danger to them, like his swords and eyes meant nothing. Their smell, so clean and calming, no fear even though their heartbeats had given it away just minutes ago. All of them looked in an eternal way young and old at the same time.  
The more he watched them, the more he noticed some of them moving just a tad too quickly, teeth just that side of too sharp and some smelled like lilac and gooseberries, like honey and pine, like Jaskier and Yen. You couldn't recreate someone's smell but some monsters made you remember the people you loved, many succubi did it to entangle their partners more into the dream. 

Geralt's breath hitched when his instincts finally fully realized just what he had gotten himself into. These women were not human. 

"Keep this secret and nothing will happen to you." a voice whispered into his ear, hot breath caressing his skin like a lover before he could reach for his sword or dagger. Geralt shivered involuntarily, how anyone could have gotten this close without him noticing escaped him, Vesemir would be furious if he knew.  
The baker stood behind his shoulder, putting a broad, flour covered hand on it with enough pressure to show him she was strong enough to keep him in place for a few seconds at least. Long enough to be vulnerable. 

A dozen eyes watched him, waiting for his reaction. They knew what he was, knew what he could do to them if they had met in the wild. But like this, surrounded by them, they also knew he had no chance. 

Every single woman in the room turned predatory for a small moment. Glowing eyes, hornes, wings, fangs surrounded him. The veil was lifted for the fraction of a second and the room was full of monsters. Bruxae, Alps, Succubi. And in between a witcher out of his depth. No deaths had been reported in the area, not even missing animals, it seemed these… people lived here without bothering anyone. 

Geralt swallowed and nodded, "Nothing out of the ordinary, just a village that decided to live without any outsiders. Just happenstance that no men live here." he agreed readily. A small woman with short brown hair scrunched up her nose, apparently sniffing him, "He's telling the truth, no anger or hidden motives." she said before she sneezed violently. "Has a horse." she explained to the laughing group next to her. 

The pressure on Geralt's shoulders lifted and Lillian and Belle both smiled at him brightly.  
"Right!" the baker clapped her hands, "This calls for food." And with that everyone looked perfectly ordinary again. The baker brought fresh bread, the seamstress looked at his badly mended shirt with disapproval and the blacksmith asked if she was allowed to take a look at his sword. He nodded but refused to let it out of his hands while she prodded at it. The steel one of course, not one of them came even close to his silver sword. 

After a while more women emerged, to his surprise not all of them looked otherworldly. Many clung close to the side of ethereal beauties, being watched with loving eyes and kind gestures. Many clearly lovers even though only half of them were human. Not one looked unhappy or distressed, at least not until they looked at Geralt and shrunk behind the closest vampire or succubus to protect them. It was mind-boggling. This was nothing witcher books had ever mentioned. 

The women talked and laughed and something peaceful settled. Geralt's witcher medaillon was vibrating violently, surrounded by so much magic, so many glamours. Geralt would have to go back to the next town without having fulfilled his contract. He had no idea how to explain this to anyone. Maybe he really should follow Elly's wish and tell everyone the village had burned down.  
Maybe he should just take Roach and go home. Kaer Morhen waited for him and with it the smell of fresh bread and clean laundry and the sound of laughter. Haven would stay a mysterious dot on a map. Maybe he would tell Yennefer about it, surely some sorceresses would enjoy a village like this.

Geralt felt the magic leave his skin as he left through the gate, the cloying feeling at the back of his tongue was replaced with the taste of the bread and the smell of sweet rolls he'd been given. They lasted him until Vesemir welcomed him home with open arms.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not even sure if this qualifies as plot but I love Haven and want to move there. Engagement daggers are absolutely a thing in this fic.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Pockets](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27920299) by [disaster_imp](https://archiveofourown.org/users/disaster_imp/pseuds/disaster_imp)




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